Cinematograph-film material



Jan. 29, 1929. 1,790,617

. J. E. THORNTON CINEMATOGRAPH FILM MATERIAL Original Filed May 5, 1924 remo red Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

UNITE JOHN EDWARD THORNTON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CINEMATOGRAPH-FILM MATERIAL.

Original application lgd May 5, 1924, Serial No. 711,255, and in vGreat Britain May 18, 1923. Divided and this application led October 3, 1925. Serial No. 60,348.

This invention relates to film material for the production of transparent multi-color cinematograph film-positives in four -or three colors.

In my application Serial No. 711,255, filed May 5,1924, of which this application is a division, I have described a cinematograph film-positive built up of two thin -strips of film material produced by printing two picture components in different colors one upon each side of both film strips and cementing the two printed colored strips together into a complete multicolor film positive.

This invention consists of a film-material therefor compri-sing a strip of celluloid or other water-proof material of double standard width and half standard thickness and a layer of colored colloid in two stripes on each side of the celluloid film. p

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a film embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of a four color film embodying the invention as viewed at a right angle to its length, wherein a light-obstructing dye is incorporated with the substrata.

Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, of a three color film embodying the invention.

Fig. 4 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, wherein a light-obstructing dye is incorporated with the colored layers, and

Fig. 5 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, wherein soluble and light-obstructing layers from which the colors may be removed are interposed between the transparent support and the layers of colored vemulsion or colloid.

The film-material is manufactured with a transparent central .base A of Celluloid (or similar waterproof material) of only aboutY .00100 inch thick, and of double standard width so that all the four section-images can be rinted, developed, and dried simultaneous y to secure uniform density and color balance in all images and also toensure uniform expansion and contraction. When the dou, ble-width print is finished and dried it is slit into two separate strips. The colored colloid consists of gelatine, albumen, fish-glue r the like with which suitable dyes or other coloring matter is incorporated.

To both sides of the base A of thin double width material an adhesive substratum B of the usual type is applied, of about .00005 inch in' thickness (though it may be thinner) and upon this each side is coated with a layer of colored colloid, arranged as two parallel stripes C', C2 of different colors upon each side (four stripes in all whichrun longitudinally of the film. These layers are preferably made about .00090 inch thick each, but may be slightly more or less. The adhesive substratum serves to indissolubly unite' the colored colloid stripes to the central transparent waterproof base.

The colored layers require to be sensitive to light, and may be sensitized by various processes.

In one method the colored film may be stored and is rendered sensitive before use by treatment in a bath of a suitable bichromate salt and then drying. When such film is exposed. under a negative or positive the colloid is rendered insoluble in parts and at those points the coloring matter is permanently locked up with the insoluble colloid thus forming the image, whilst at other points it In another method the colored colloid and silver salts are formed into an emulsion, as in the well-,known gelatino-silverbromide or gelatino-silverchloride printing processes.

In whichever of these methods is adopted for rendering the colored colloid sensitive to light, the necessary coloring matter is incorporated with the colloid at the time of manufacturing the film, and the coloring matter not required in the image is washed out or removed from the colloid by suitable re-agents after printing and developing.

The coloring matter used in forming the image itself can be rendered still more permanently-fixed by the application of suitable mordants, all in manner well-known.

The methods of printing a film sensitized according to any of the different senstizing processes, and the different treatment required in the development, and other processes after printing, are all well-known to those acquainted with each process; they form no part of the present invention and are therefore not described in detail herein.

For a four-color film, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the colors preferred are crimsonred, blue-green, yellow, and blue-violet, butY thesJ colors may be slightly modified if desire The colored colloid is applied to the, double-width strip of transparent waterproof base or support in the form of two parallel stripes C, C2 of t wo different colors upon one side of themsupport and two parallel stripes C, C2 of two other colors upon the other side of the support. j

It is preferred to place the red and green back-to-back and the yellow and violet backto-back. But if desired this order of arrangement may be varied. f

For a three-color film, as shown in Fig.4 3, the colors preferred are red, blue and yellow; but it is obvious that they may be other colors.

As in this arrangement there are only three colors to fill four places upon the doublewidth support, one of the three colors is duplicated upon each half-width of the strip.

Therefore, in the form using red, blue and yellow, it is preferred to place the red and yellow back-to-back, and the blue and yellow back to-back. But if desired this order of arrangement may be Varied.

As such a sensitized strip is iii/tended to be rinted upon both sides simultaneously by eing sandwiched between two negatives and exposed to light from opposite sides, it is necessary to adopt means for preventing penetration of light through the film and thus wrongly affecting the sensitive layer upon the opposite side.

This is preferably effected in known-manner by providing the central base with a soluble light obstructing color or dye E which can be removed bv Washing out after printing, during the after operations of developing, fixing or washing. For this purpose a number of dyes are suitable, such for example as tartrazine and others. The dye may be incorporated with the thin substratum layers at the time oftheir application to the central support. Or in some cases a soluble yellow dye may be incorporated with the colored layers, but this depends upon the nature of the sensitizing and of the coloring matter used to form the images. In practice the first method is preferred as the simplest.

Films constructed with the light-obstructing layers E as described are intended to be printed only from negatives of the fulltone. description, the sensitized film being sandwiched between the two negatives during the operation of printing, and the exposures can be made either by contact or by projection, according to speed of the sensitized material. v y

With full-tone negatives the light-obstructing la ers E are essential.

With a ouble-width sensitized film constructed as described, and a pair of suitable double-width negatives, all four images can be printed simultaneously and automatically at one printing operation without the necessity of a large amount of highly skilled labour, and the Various subsequent operations of developing, fixing, washing, mordanting, color-removing, or the like can also be effected by automatic machinery that will ensure equal treatment of allfour sections of the same picture.

Moreover the invention obviates the uncertainty of result and great expense in adjusting the colors which would be necessary if non-colored sensitized film were used and the fourimages colored after development by the known processes of dyeing for each color separately. A more certain quality of result is obtained rowing to the coloring matter for each section being incorporated with the sensitized layer at the time of its manufacture in exact and' carefully adjusted amounts that will give correct color-balance in the finished multi-color picture. vThe invention although primarily intended for the production of cinematograph positive pictures will be found equally applicable. to other multi-color photography (non-cinematograph).

Although the complete film is herein described as a double-width strip, it mayfor convenience and economy in manufacture be formed as awide web of several strips, as usual in manufacturing most sensitized material, the web being slit into a number of double-width strips afterwards.

Although the coloring matter can be incorporated with the colloid mixture before the film support is coated as strips, I prefer the following method of manufacture.

The wide web, or alternatively the doublewidth strip A, is first covered all over upo`n both sides by a suitable coating machine with non-color colloid D, either of the ready-sensitized or non-sensitized variety. After drying it is next passed through a machine which j applies the solutions of coloring matter or dyes in the form of colored stripes C', C2 each being the width of a single film. These solutions are each adjusted to the correct strength or intensity of color and are applied until the colloid is charged to saturationv and the colors have penetrated the entire thickness of colloid down to the waterproof base or support. l

lf necessary the colors may be mixed with a mordant; or the mordant may be incorporated with the colloid before the colors are applied; or the mordant may be applied last of all, after coloring.

The web or strip is dried and is then ready for use.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is :e-

1. A cinematograph positive film material comprising a strip of waterproof material of double standard width and half standard thickness, a layer of colored-colloid in two parallel differently colo-red stripes on one side of said strip and a layer of ldifferently colored colloid in two parallel stripes on the other side of said strip and running in the same direction as said first named stripes, said strip adapted to receive four component image impressions and to be severed into two and to have its two portions 'cemented together to assemble and superimpose the four component images in one picture space.

2.--A cinematograph positive film material comprisingl a strip of waterproof material of double standard width and half standard thickness, a layer of colored sensitized colloid in two parallel colored stripes on one side of said strip an'd a layer of colored sensitized colloid in two parallel stripes on the other side of said strip and running in the same direction as said first named stripes, each of the four stripes differing in color from the other three, said strip adapted to receive four component image impressions and to be severed into two and to have its two portions cemented together' lto assemble and superimpose the four component images in one pic ture space.

3. A cinematograph positive film material comprising in its construction a central baselayer of transparent water-proof material about `.00100 inch thick; a layer of adhesive substratum about .00005 inch thick applied to each face of said base layer; a layer of colored colloid about .00090 inch thick applied to each of the substratum layers; and a light obstructing removable dye; the substratum, colored colloid and light-obstructing dye being applied in two parallel stripes to the full width and to both sides of the double width central base, making a total of four parallel stripes, each of said four stripes iffering in color from the other three.

4. A positive film material comprising in `its construction :-(A) a double-width strip or support of transparent waterproof material; (B) two parallel stripes of differently colored colloid indissolubly attached to one side of the support and comprising two of the color components -for a four-color picture; (C) two parallel stripes of differently colored colloid indissolublvattached to the other side ofthe support and comprising the other two colors for a four-color picture, the stripes on one side of the support being parallel to those on the other side and running in the 'same direction as the latter; (D) a layer of adhesive' substratum interposed between the central support and its colored colloid layers upon each side of the support, to effect per- `feet union between the support A and. its colored layers B and C.

5. A positive film material comprising in central support and its colored colloidl'ayers upon each side of the support, to edectper-f feet union between the support A andits colored layers B and C; and (E) a'soluble light obstructing dye, between the Colored layers.

6. A cinematograph positive film material comprising in its construction a central baselayer of transparent waterproof material of double standard width and about .00100 inch thick; a layer of adhesive substratum about .00005 inch thick applied to each face thereof; a layer of colored colloid about .00090 inch thick applied to each ofthe substratum layers; a light-obstructing removable dye between the colloid layers, said colloid being 4hesive substratum interposed between zthefV l ready-'colored during manufacture of the.

film material and formed as four complementary-colored stripes applied to the substratum layers, two of the colored stripes being ar ranged side by side in parallel lines running longitudinally of the strip on the front side of said base layer, and two similarly disposedcolored stripes upon the back side of said base layer; the colored stripes being disposed in any desired order of combination.

7. A cinematograph positive film material comprising in its construction a ready colored film material of five layers and of double the width and about half the thickness of a standard film, two of said layers each comprising a pair of parallel colored stripes, the third layer comprising a central base of transparent waterproof material between. lsaid colored layers and indissolubly united therewith, and the remaining two layers each com` prising a colloid layer containing a removable light-obstructing medium and each interposed between the colored layers and said cent-ral base.

8. A cinematograph positive film material comprising in its construction a sensitized ready colored film material of five layers and of double the width and about half the thickness of a standard film, two of saidlayers` each comprising a pair of differently colored sensitized parallel stripes, the third layer comprising a central ase of transparent llO waterproof material between said colored layers and indissolubly united therewith, the

remaining two layers each comprising a col-- loid layer containing a removable light-obstructing medium and each located between one of said sensitized colored layers and said central base.

9. A positive film-material for photoraphic purposes comprising a water-proof ase of double picture area laterally disposed havng'a layer of colored colloid in two colors, one in each picture area on one side, and a layer of colored colloid in two colors,.one in each picture area on the other side, the pic ture areas on one side being in exact register with those on the opposite side.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN EDWARD THORNTON. 

